People enjoy their time at a forest park in Nantong. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The permanent resident population in Nantong, Jiangsu province, had exceeded 7.74 million by the end of 2023, 5,000 more residents than the previous year.

Population is the foundation of economic and social development, and population size is an important symbol of the development level of a city.

In recent years, Nantong authorities have implemented a "population aggregation" campaign, which includes a three-year action plan that has successfully driven the increase of permanent residents year by year.

The net inflow of permanent residents in Nantong at the end of 2023 was 347,200, respectively 179,800, 130,800, and 70,600 more than the figures at the end of 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The city's population growth is characterized by the further population agglomeration effect, an increased urbanization rate, and improved population quality.

At the end of last year, the permanent resident population in downtown Nantong was 3.83 million, accounting for 49.47 percent of the total and 0.15 percentage points higher than the previous year.

The permanent urban population in Nantong was over 5.62 million at the end of 2023, 64,100 more than the end of 2022. The urbanization rate of its permanent residents reached 72.57 percent.

With a further improved educational system, the average years of education in the city have increased in recent years. In 2023, the average years of schooling received for people aged 16 to 59 were 11.41, 0.19 years longer than the previous year.